Senior guard Micah Williams scored his 1,000th point on a 3-pointer with 17:55 left in the second half.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 29, 2011) - Senior guard Micah Williams (Manchester) eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career and the ETSU men's basketball team scored 55 first-half points, as the Buccaneers raced out of the gates and then cruised to a 93-62 win over Kennesaw State in Atlantic Sun Conference basketball action Saturday afternoon at the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center.

Williams' milestone basket came with 17:55 left on the clock in the second half, as he sank a long-range 3-pointer from the left wing. He finished with 22 points, while fellow senior guard Mike Smith (Vandalia, Mo.) picked up a career high 27 points to lead all ETSU scorers. With the win, the Buccaneers improved to 15-8 overall, 10-2 in A-Sun play, winning for the 11th time in 12 games. Meanwhile, the Owls dropped to 5-16, 3-8.

"Micah has really turned into a nice player for us, and it's great to see Micah get to 1,000 points on a night when our team played really well all around," said ETSU head coach Murry Bartow, whose team remains just one game back of league-leading Belmont in the A-Sun standings. "When you make shots everything is easier. I thought our energy was really good throughout the game, we were relaxed and we were able to do a lot of good things on both ends of the floor."

Along with Williams and Smith, junior forward Isiah Brown (Miami, Fla.) had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guard Adam Sollazzo (Tampa) enjoyed a strong effort by posting 15 points and dishing out five assists.

In the first half, the Bucs took a 4-4 game and proceeded to go on a 20-8 run to make it 24-12 with 12:48 left on the clock. ETSU never let up from there, going on to outscore the Owls 31-17 the rest of the way and build a 55-29 lead at the break.

The Bucs shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the first half, including a 43 percent clip from beyond the 3-point arc. ETSU also outrebounded KSU 23-14 and forced eight turnovers by the Owls. Smith finished with 19 points before the break, while Williams pitched 13 before the break.

After the break, the Bucs only continued to build their advantage and ultimately held its largest lead of the game at 93-51 with 3:23 left in the contest.

For the game, ETSU shot an impressive 62 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Owls 39-28. The Bucs forced 14 turnovers and snatched seven steals on the night. ETSU's defensive effort was strong as well, as the Bucs held KSU to 24 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Owls were led offensively by Markeith Cummings, who scored a game-high 29 points, while Spencer Dixon netted 10.

ETSU will return to action Monday evening against Mercer. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. For more on ETSU men's basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's hoops link.